Muscle contraction theories

Development of the Sliding Filament Theory of Muscle Contraction... 

DEVELOPMENT OF THE SLIDING FILAMENT THEORY OF MUSCLE CONTRACTION... 

Describe the sliding filament theory of skeletal muscle contraction... 

The mechanism of skeletal muscle contraction is described by the Sliding Filament Theory (see Figure 11.2). This mechanism begins with the "priming ... 

A. Huxley and Niedergerke, H.E.Huxley and Hanson. The sliding filament theory of muscle contraction. 

Apart from the phosphorylation theory, other regulatory mechanisms have also been suggested for smooth muscle contraction. A thin-filament protein that has been proposed as a regulatory component is caldesmon [102], Purified caldesmon is a potent inhibitor of actin-tropomyosin interaction with myosin. The mechanisms by which calcium removes this inhibition are controversial. Furthermore, phosphorylation of caldesmon by a caldesmon kinase in vitro has also been implicated in this... 

M. Amin, Theory of Muscle Contraction I Isometric Contraction, J. Biol. Phys. 11 91-97 (1984). 

Some theories have been put forward relating muscle contraction with swelling retraction but it seems rather doubtful whether the assumption of so a simple analogy is justified. 

Membrane phenomena cover an extremely broad field. Membranes are organized structures especially designed to perform several specific functions. They act as a barrier in living organisms to separate two regions, and they must be able to control the transport of matter. Moreover, alteration in transmembrane potentials can have a profound effect on key physiological processes such as muscle contraction and neuronal activity. In 1875, Gibbs stated the thermodynamic relations that form the basis of membrane equilibria. The theory of ionic membrane equilibrium was developed later by Donnan (1911). From theoretical considerations, Donnan obtained an expression for the electric potential difference, commonly known as the membrane potential between two phases. 

Iwazumi T (1970) A new field theory of muscle contraction. Ph D Thesis. Ann Arbor, Michigan Univ. Pennsylvania... 

From J. L. Krans. The Sliding Filament Theory of Muscle Contraction. 2010. Nature Ed. 3(9), p. 66. 

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